diff --git a/test/polymorphism.cpp b/test/polymorphism.cpp
index 0fbaf9d5..02713ae2 100644
--- a/test/polymorphism.cpp
+++ b/test/polymorphism.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-#define BOOST_NO_STD_WSTRING
 // Copyright David Abrahams 2002.
 // Distributed under the Boost Software License, Version 1.0. (See
 // accompanying file LICENSE_1_0.txt or copy at
diff --git a/test/test_builtin_converters.cpp b/test/test_builtin_converters.cpp
index 4284adc8..2b20b719 100644
--- a/test/test_builtin_converters.cpp
+++ b/test/test_builtin_converters.cpp
@@ -85,14 +85,14 @@ BOOST_PYTHON_MODULE(builtin_converters)
     def("rewrap_value_complex_double", by_value<std::complex<double> >::rewrap);
     def("rewrap_value_complex_long_double", by_value<std::complex<long double> >::rewrap);
     def("rewrap_value_wstring",
-# ifdef BOOST_NO_STD_WSTRING
+# if defined(BOOST_NO_STD_WSTRING) || !defined(Py_USING_UNICODE)
         identity_
 # else 
         by_value<std::wstring>::rewrap
 # endif 
     );
     def("rewrap_value_string",
-# ifdef BOOST_NO_STD_WSTRING
+# if defined(BOOST_NO_STD_WSTRING) || !defined(Py_USING_UNICODE)
         identity_
 # else 
         by_value<std::wstring>::rewrap
diff --git a/test/test_builtin_converters.py b/test/test_builtin_converters.py
index 3c2e13b8..ddff3c63 100644
--- a/test/test_builtin_converters.py
+++ b/test/test_builtin_converters.py
@@ -78,12 +78,23 @@ r"""
 'hello, world'
 >>> rewrap_value_string('yo, wassup?')
 'yo, wassup?'
->>> rewrap_value_wstring(u'yo, wassup?')
-u'yo, wassup?'
 
-    test that overloading on unicode works:
+>>> try:
+...     unicode
+... catch:
+...     print "u'yo, wassup?'"
+... else:
+...     eval("rewrap_value_wstring(u'yo, wassup?')")
+u'yo, wassup?'
     
->>> rewrap_value_string(u'yo, wassup?')
+   test that overloading on unicode works:
+
+>>> try:
+...     unicode
+... catch:
+...     print "u'yo, wassup?'"
+... else:
+...     eval("rewrap_value_string(u'yo, wassup?')")
 u'yo, wassup?'
 
    wrap strings with embedded nulls: